Leg length discrepancy

[Austin Baraki]

I am really trying to unglue my left hip flexors and illiacus, Vastus medialis. I will be working on my left ankle function and strength.

Dc, what the hell does any of this mean?

[Travis Greer]

I'm no expert, but 2-6mm doesn't seem like a big deal. I would assume everyone has some degree of length difference in limbs. Also, there is the human error factor that probably accounts for AT LEAST a few mm.

[jbackos]

If your hip flexor was really “glued” and not functioning, you would not be able to walk or stand upright. Sometimes what seems complex is really simple.

I have a slight (2-3 degrees) scoliosis which was diagnosed by x Ray after a back spasm/sciatica due to piriformis syndrome. I had been getting repeated back spasms only on the left side for a long time. I noticed that at the bottom of a squat my pelvis would abruptly shift to the right. Up until that time I had always made every effort to place my feet symmetrically angled.

After testing my foot angle by lying on my back and letting my feet rest I noticed my left foot was more angled out than my right. I then changed my stance to one with an asymmetrical turnout and voila - no more hip shift, no more recurring spasms.

Regarding bilateral strength, attempting to strengthen a weak side by isolating it is bullshit. When you train the single side, the muscular interactions are not the same and will probably at best not carry over to the squat, and at worst completely fuck your squat technique. Train both at the same time and stop when the weak side causes issues. Eventually, the weak side will catch up.

[misterponytail]

I've always had a leg length discrepancy. At one point, I wore a 1/2" lift in my left shoe. Of course, over the years, my left knee deteriorated and I became more bow-legged, which effectively shortened the leg even more. Then I had a total knee arthroplasty, which straightened the knee out and made that leg the same length as the other leg. Of course, I had the other knee done three months later, and that leg got longer, putting me back in the different length category. LOL! One of the hardest parts of the TKA recovery process was getting over the back pain as my pelvis and lower back adjusted to the new angles. (Well, that and the lower back pain from constipation from the stupid pain meds...)

Having different length legs never got in the way. Before a chiropractor pointed it out, I never even thought about it. Of course, after he pointed it out, then I saw that my hips were tilted one way, then my back curved, and my shoulders tilted the other way. Pretty much just cosmetic though. Once I got past that, I realized that my legs weren't stopping me from doing anything.